Purse Increase To Put Arlington Near Top

July 04, 2000|By Neil Milbert, Tribune Staff Writer.

The purses at Arlington International Racecourse will be increased substantially next week.

Arlington's chief executive officer, Scott Mordell, said Monday that daily purses would be raised from their current $244,000 average to "around $360,000" for the middle segment of the meeting that runs July 12 through Labor Day, Sept. 4.

"For those 41 racing days we'll be offering $11 million in overnight purses and $4 million in stakes purses," said Mordell.

Arlington's purses during this time will be exceeded only by those of the New York and Southern California tracks.

Currently, Belmont is averaging $489,754 and Hollywood Park is averaging $383,026. On July 26, Saratoga will take over from Belmont for a 36-day meeting and Del Mar will follow Hollywood with a 43-day meeting. Last year's daily averages were $539,790 at Saratoga and $465,486 at Del Mar.

Although purses at Arlington haven't caught up with those at the top tracks on the East and West Coasts and at Kentucky's spring and fall Keeneland and Churchill Downs meetings, the economic indicator is promising.

Last year Hawthorne Race Course averaged $218,000, and Sportsman's Park, which leased Hawthorne, averaged $198,204. And in 1997, the last year that Arlington raced, purses were $178,188 daily.

Role change: During the 17 days that Ramsey Zimmerman was on the disabled list, the 18-year-old Barrington jockey became an avid watcher of races on the new Television Games Network.

Zimmerman dislocated his collarbone and sustained a concussion when his June 14 seventh-race mount, Lost Kitten, broke down while battling for the lead in the stretch.

Zimmerman returned Sunday. After finishing up the track in his first three rides, he took Lil Mary Too to the winner's circle in the day's last race.

"I came home and saw a replay of the race on TVG and they talked about me coming back," said Zimmerman. "I was really excited."

Zimmerman said the spill was a close call.

"I was unconscious, face down for five minutes and I inhaled a lot of water and dirt," he explained. "At the hospital they pumped out a bag of water and dirt. I could have drowned. I have no memory of the first 2 days after the accident and I don't remember the day of the accident either."

Lady's day? On A Soapbox, a filly trained by Niall O'Callaghan, will challenge 12 male foes in Tuesday's Grade III, $200,000-added Stars and Stripes Breeders' Cup Handicap. Among her opponents is Beautiful Dancer, who'll be ridden by Blythe Miller, the top woman rider on the steeplechase circuit.

Belmont belle: I'm Brassy remained unbeaten in three starts--all at Belmont--when she raced to a front-running victory in the $150,000, Grade II Prioress Stakes.